I've never served in the military. I'm also not gay. As such, the Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT) policy, enacted by Congress in 1993 calling for the discharge of openly gay, lesbian or bisexual service members, never really impacted me one way or the other. I suppose that my greatest disappointment is that the entire policy debate ruined the first 100 days of President Clinton's first administration.
It turns out that over 1,300 people have lost their military job since 1994.
Our nation is a different place in 2009 than it was in 1994. The DADT policy seems out-dated. The president says he wants it changed. 75 percent of Americans favor allowing gays to serve openly in the military - up from just 44 percent in 1993.
We are in two wars right now. We need all the trained military people we can get. Most allied forces working alongside U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Iraq allow individuals to serve openly regardless of sexual orientation. Studies of the militaries of Australia, Israel, Great Britain and Canada have shown open service to have no effect on enrollment or retention.
The total number of countries allowing openly gay service is 26. The US and Turkey are the only two original NATO countries that still have bans in place. It just feels that we are on the wrong end of history with our DADT policy.
The folks over at Pam's House Blend have been urging repeal of the DADT policy for many years now. I respect Pam and her opinion on this matte
r very much.
The folks in congress are now joining the effort. The Military Readiness Enhancement Act (MREA), which repeals current law and replaces it with a policy of non-discrimination in our armed forces, has 161 cosponsors with Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-PA) as lead sponsor.
Villagers, I encourage you to ask your Representative to support MREA today. You don't have to be in the military or gay to realize that it is time to repeal the DADT policy. Send the letter to your congressional representative.
It turns out that over 1,300 people have lost their military job since 1994.
Our nation is a different place in 2009 than it was in 1994. The DADT policy seems out-dated. The president says he wants it changed. 75 percent of Americans favor allowing gays to serve openly in the military - up from just 44 percent in 1993.
We are in two wars right now. We need all the trained military people we can get. Most allied forces working alongside U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Iraq allow individuals to serve openly regardless of sexual orientation. Studies of the militaries of Australia, Israel, Great Britain and Canada have shown open service to have no effect on enrollment or retention.
The total number of countries allowing openly gay service is 26. The US and Turkey are the only two original NATO countries that still have bans in place. It just feels that we are on the wrong end of history with our DADT policy.
The folks over at Pam's House Blend have been urging repeal of the DADT policy for many years now. I respect Pam and her opinion on this matte
r very much.The folks in congress are now joining the effort. The Military Readiness Enhancement Act (MREA), which repeals current law and replaces it with a policy of non-discrimination in our armed forces, has 161 cosponsors with Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-PA) as lead sponsor.
Villagers, I encourage you to ask your Representative to support MREA today. You don't have to be in the military or gay to realize that it is time to repeal the DADT policy. Send the letter to your congressional representative.
What are your thoughts on DADT policy?
